DAY 603

"The Universe story is the quintessence of reality.
We perceive the story. We put it in our language, the birds put it in theirs, and the trees put it in theirs. We can read the story of the Universe in the trees. Everything tells the story of the Universe. The winds tell the story, literally, not just imaginatively. The story has its imprint everywhere, and that is why it is so important to know the story. If you do not know the story, in a sense you do not know yourself; you do not know anything."

Thomas Berry


Since I was a little girl I knew this to be true in a very intuitive way. The importance of the story we all share (and the micro-stories inside the big story) has defined my life,  my need to find the hidden connections  has guided me, and the possibility of telling my own vision of them, in my own voice (even accepting that I am much more than the stories I can tell)  has fascinated me. Maybe it is time to turn this into something more tangible, to explore more deeply, to stay true to what is essential to me. 


Maybe it is time.  

Maybe it is time to  be reborn, to awaken to the sacredness of this lifelong task.

Happy Easter, dear friends

Much Love,

Z.

DAY 597

in {and out} Week 31: Soft drink

The first time I saw the water with pieces of fruit or vegetable, I found it appealing and I thought it was a clever idea to enjoy water (something that I cannot easily do). So I decided to give it a try, but when I drink my first glass I thought: salad!. It was not tasty and fresh as I expected and I didn't like it. Every single person all over the blogosphere seemed to be enjoying it, storing new varieties inside  big mason jars and drinking it with delight, except me, so I decided to forget about it. And then one day, almost by chance, I prepared just a single cup of water with a slice of cucumber and another one of lemon, I took a tiny sip and it was not too bad, then another one and -by doing that- I finished the cup.

The same persons who had written about that were already busy with another thing: chia puddings, raw breakfast bars or maybe homemade granola (you get the idea) and I was still trying to become used to naturally flavored water. And -being analytic as I am- I started to think about how this could be possible. 

I was not unhappy with that (on the contrary I always appreciate inspiration) or concerned by my slowness ( it takes me time to make changes and I have clear criteria about things). I didn´t feel uneasy either (I know that quite often a small post is just the final step of a longer process), I was simply curious about how a this movements and trends worked.

I started a blog in order to find a space where I could be myself and other's blogs became a mirror where I could see the same determination that was moving me. It was a way to stay outside the conventional paths and to be creative, but of course, nothing escape the market’s clutches and now blogs are part of a wider scheme that involves many social nets, trending topics, trend setters, big marketing teams… you name it. 

Of course, this doesn't invalidate that kind of proposals, if perhaps makes them a bit more predictable. However, blogs still allow connection, the sense of belonging to a big community of kindred spirits or the possibility to overcome the gap that existed before depending on social origin or cultural background. They also help to make the world visible  as it is, to increase personal opportunities and spread knowledge… but –because it is in market interest- there are now a sort of (increasing) equalization that was less evident years ago. 

The good new is that regardless of this, there are still many persons making the most extraordinary things on a regular basis, showing us that there is a spark of brilliance in all of us, promoting awareness, advocating creativity, reclaiming their own strength, their vision,  and -through that- making us connect to our inner warrior, encouraging us to fight our  everyday battles. 

Yes, there are still lots of authenticity and uniqueness out there.  And I love having the chance to contemplate it. 


This entry is part of a project I am developing with my friend Montse Gallardo. We'll share 52 photos. Her photos will be always taken outside and my photos will be indoor shots only. We have created a Facebook page: In and Out. 52 weeks where you can see all the photos of the project. 

DAY 572

there is neither a start nor an end

"All Beings Are Flowers Blooming In A Blooming Universe"

Soen Nakagawa

DAY 566

about love

“When we are in relationship as our own radiant emptiness, the relationship is beautiful because we are being what we are. Essentially we are in love with a mystery. Mystery is in love with itself. When this mystery is in relationship with an other, whether the so-called other is the flower, the bird, the wind, the coldness, or a human being, it relates to these as an expression of the same mystery. This is true sacred relationship, when we see that we are really in relationship with the manifestation of the mystery.”

Adyashanti

DAY 554

expanding the sense of belonging

"When we see who is really in front of us, when we can glimpse a bit of their “secret history,” we don’t want them to suffer, and our circle of compassion naturally widens to include them"

Tara Brach

DAY 552

equinoctial

"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar,' every 'supreme leader,' every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

Carl Sagan


After a few weeks feeling a bit sad (read previous post) I am recovering not calm, because I´ve been serene all that time long, but the sense of connection and belonging and the genuine amazement provided by being walking my path, developing this journey of mine.

 I think autumn (my favorite season) and the first rains have something to do with this, but also a sort of awaken that I have experienced the last week. Step by step I am returning to my own self.

Happy Week and Much Love

Z.

DAY 548

impermanence

"This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds.
To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance.
A lifetime is like a flash of lightning in the sky.
Rushing by, like a torrent down a steep mountain."

Buddha


Amidst current hot days I can glimpse that this too will pass.

This constant movement of seasons, days, stars or planets never ceases to amaze me but also makes me experience contradictory feelings, thrill and unease go hand in hand.

Maybe because this reveals the ultimate truth about our time here: it´s captivating yet transitory... and fleeting.

Have a nice weekend dear friends

Much Love

Z.

DAY 546

"The great lesson from the true mystics 
(…) is that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one's daily life...in one's own backyard."

Abraham Maslow

DAY 535

the secret sound

"If you want the truth, I’ll tell you the truth: Listen to the secret sound, the real sound, which is inside you."

Kabir

After reading this quote (that resonated deeply with me) I realized that in fact,  this is becoming the only routine of my personal practice: I listen and listen and when I think I have nothing else to listen, I listen again.

I listen with my ears but also with my whole being because that secret sound inside me shows up in many different ways. I listen and pay attention to what I am noticing and try to name my feelings, my unease, the things that lead me to serenity. I listen through the language of my body, through its sickness; through my photos and the words I send to the world; through my changing mood, my anger, my joy and my silences.

And step by step I get in touch with that secret sound, the secret voice of my soul, that connects me to a wisdom that is bigger than me,  I unravel its language and figure out what it´s trying to tell me.

From time to time, I get lost in this translation: the emotional noise is loud and I am not able to set connections. When this happens I try to be back to basics. I listen how I am talking to others (and to myself) and behind the tone of my voice, its tessitura, the words I am using, after a few moments, I recognize the soft whisper of that secret sound, the delicate guidance of my soul...

I have come to understand that it uses even the most banal talk to reach me and this has been maybe the most amazing find I have made: everything is a channel that the highest consciousness uses to talk to me about me and ABOUT the meaning of my -our- stay here

DAY 530

"The point of marriage is not to create a quick commonality by tearing down all boundaries; 
on the contrary, a good marriage is one in which each partner appoints the other to be the guardian of his solitude, and thus they show each other the greatest possible trust. A merging of two people is an impossibility, and where it seems to exist, it is a hemming-in, a mutual consent that robs one party or both parties of their fullest freedom and development. But once the realization is accepted that even between the closest people infinite distances exist, a marvelous living side-by-side can grow up for them, if they succeed in loving the expanse between them, which gives them the possibility of always seeing each other as a whole and before an immense sky." 

Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet


Have a nice weekend, dear friends

Much Love,

Z.

DAY 527

"Water has a memory and carries within it our thoughts and prayers. 
As you yourself are water, no matter where you are, your prayers will be carried to the rest of the world."

Masaru Emoto

DAY 518

"There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. (...). If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the present moment.

Tsunetomo Yamamoto

DAY 514

"Pleasure comes and goes.
When it goes, we don't need to cling to memories of the past happiness or dwell on when it may come again. When we turn to the past yearning, we are running away from the present. When we propel ourselves into the future in anticipation, we are running away from the present. This is the secret of the world's spiritual tradition called detachment: If we don't cling to past or future we live entirely here and now, in 'Eternity's sunrise.'"

Eknath Easwaran

DAY 512

"For too long, we have believed that the divine is outside us.
This belief has strained our longing disastrously. This is so lonely since it is human longing that makes us holy. The most beautiful thing about us is our longing; this longing is spiritual and has great depth and wisdom. If you focus your longing on a faraway divinity, you put an unfair strain on your longing. (...) Yet we do not need to put any strain on our longing. If we believe that the body is in the soul and the soul is divine ground, then the presence of the divine is completely here, close with us."

John O'Donohue

DAY 510

You lack a foot to travel?
Then journey into yourself
And like a mine of rubies
receive the sunbeams print

Out of yourself such a journey
will lead you to your self,
It leads to transformation
of dust into pure gold!

Rumi

DAY 502

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, 
is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."

Anna Quindlen

DAY 365+132

everydayness

"Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don't have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. We don't have to leave our city or even our neighborhood to enjoy the eyes of a beautiful child. Even the air we breathe can be a source of joy."

Thich Nhat Hanh

DAY 365+131

unconditional

Opening to my loss,
Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within;
Opening to my loss,
I am given unimaginable gifts;
Surrendering into emptiness,
I find fullness without end.
Each condition I flee from pursues me.
Each condition I welcome transforms me
And becomes itself transformed (...)

Jennifer Welwood

DAY 365+127

"Enlightenment is finding that there is nothing to find.
Enlightenment is to come to know that there is nowhere to go. Enlightenment is the understanding that this is all, that this is perfect, that this is it. Enlightenment is not an achievement, it is an understanding that there is nothing to achieve, nowhere to go. You are already there -- you have never been away. You cannot be away from there."

Osho

DAY 365+120

impermanence

"That nothing is static or fixed, that all is fleeting and impermanent, is the first mark of existence. It is the ordinary state of affairs. Everything is in process. Everything—every tree, every blade of grass, all the animals, insects, human beings, buildings, the animate and the inanimate—is always changing, moment to moment."

Pema Chodron